Mechanical musical instrument



(No Model.)

G. W. TURNER & O. H. ARNO.

Mechanical Musical Instrument.

No. 240,787. Patented April 26,1881.

I Fig].

:Ml m 4 I I at lnvarpurs. GTW Tar/a e/' R; Q/fir/w,

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

GEORGE W. TURNER, OF BOSTON, AND OLIVER H. ARNO, OF IVILMINGTON, ASSIGNORS TO THE AMERICAN AUTOll IATIC ORGAN COMPANY, OF 1305 TON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,787, dated April 26, 1881.

Application filed February 8, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE W. TURNER and OLIVER H. ARNO, respectively of Boston and Wilmington, in the counties of Suffolk and Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to that class of musical instruments employing a strip of perforated paper, which is caused to be moved along in a suitable manner, and as it so moves along opens and closes, or causes to be opened and closed, air-passages connecting with musical reeds which are arranged in such passages, whereby the reeds are caused to sound according to the arrangement of the perforations in said strip, &c.

Under this invention the several parts of this instrument are inclosed in a box or casing, with the open end of the reed-chambers arranged in a horizontal plane at the upper portion of such box, which is also there provided with suitable mechanism for feeding the perforated strip lengthwise in a direct line across said open ends of the reed-chambers, and has suitable slots or openings at and along each side of the box for the perforated strip to pass into and out of the same, and as it so passes to travel over the open ends of the reed-chamber, as stated.

The invention. relates, first, to the closing of this upper portion of the said box or casing; and, as to that, it consists ofa cover or lid made in parts or sections, constructed and arranged to be operated and closed at pleasure, to open or close the box for the escape of the sounds of the reeds as the tune is being played, and thus enable crescendo and diminuendo effects to be obtained in the playing of a tune by the instrumen t, and,in addition thereto, constructed and arranged to be swung as a whole upon the box or casing, to expose the open ends of 5 the reed-chambers and the feed mechanism for the perforated strip for the ready insertion of such strip, and without detaching or removing the same from the box, all substantially as hereinafter described.

The invention relates, second, to the con- (N0 model.)

struction of the reed-board for the confinement of the reeds therein, and the passage of air to and through the reeds from the operation of the bellows or other wind mechanism, and, as

to this, the reed-board for each reed is chambered out upon each side, which chambers between the said two sides of the reed-board meet at an acute angle and in a common opening, which is covered by the reed, that slides through guideways of one of such angular 6o chambers, and is there held or confined in any suitable manner, all substantially as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying plate of drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section from side to side on line 1 1, Fig. 2, and in the direction of the line of feed of the perforated strip over the open ends of the reedchamber, and with the sectional cover to the upper portion of the instrument closed, but in part open, as shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is atplan view with a portion of the cover broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical section online 22, Fig. 2,with the cover or lid, as a whole, swung open. Fig.4is a front view of a portion of the reed-board; Fig. 5, a vertical cross-section of same, and Fig. 6, a cross-section of same on line 3 3, Fig. 5.

In the drawings is shown a musical instrument of the class herein described, consisting, in substance, of an outside box or casing, A, a bellows, B, a reed-board, C, having a series of reed-chambers, a, each of which has a reed, b, and feed-rolls D,for feeding a perforated strip across the upper open ends of the reed-chambers, which are at the upper portion of the said box or casing, all as ordinarily, except as hereinafter described.

E is a cover or lid, which closes the upper portion of the box or casing. This cover or lid is in three parts-to wit, a central portion, 0, and a portion, (1, at and along each side of the cent a1 portion. The central portion, c,is fixed at each end to parallel end pieces, f, which are at a suitable distance apart to enter in and between the end uprights, F, of the box or casing, and each end piece is pivoted, as at g, to thesaid end uprights in a manner to swing thereon as a center, and enable the cover to be placed either over the upper portion of the box or casing or to oueside thereof, below the horizonx 00 tal plane of the open ends of the reed-chamher, as may be desired. This cover, when closed, rests by one of its end pieces,f, upon the upper edges, h, of one of the sides, G, to the box or casing, and when swung open, as aforesaid, it rests in a horizontal position against the opposite side of the box or casing, as will hereinafter appear. The side portions, (1 d, of the box-cover are similarly hung at each end by a pivot to the end pieces,f, and they rest along their edges Z against the under side of the central portion, 0, of the cover, and in such rest each runs in its width in a direction to intersect, if extended above the central portion, and at each lower edge, m, to leave an open space, a, between it and the upper edges of the sides of the box, in proper position for the passage of the perforated strip into and out of the box or casing and over the upper open ends of the reed-chambers.

p is a cross-piece upon the under side of the central portion, 0, of the lid E, and of alength to enter into a notch, q, in the upper edge of each side part, (I, of the cover. This crosspiece 1) has vertical guide-pins r a", and at its center it is attached to a pusherbloek, s, which passes upward through an opening, t, in the central portion, 0, and on its outer end is provided with a button-head, a. Pressing the button-head down swings the side parts of the cover upward, and thus, if a tune is being played, the casing is opened to the escape of the sounds, and in relieving such pressure the said side parts close of their own weight. Thus crescendo and diminuendo efi'ects can be obtained as desired.

' The operation of the parts of the cover for crescendo and diminuendo effects, as described, is independent of the swing of the cover, to expose the open ends of the reed-chamber and the feed mechanism for the insertion of a strip, and in the latter instance all parts of the cover are swung as one, and when so opened it is sustained by the rest of one of the side portions of the cover against a side piece, G, of the box or casing, as plainly shown in Fig. 3.

The reed-board G carries a series of reeds, b, and for each reedthe reed-board is similarly chambered upon opposite sides thereof. These chambers H and L run at an angle to each other, and meet in an acute angle at a common opening, a. Each opening is covered by the reed, which slides within grooves w of one of such angular chambers, and when the several reeds are so placed the air passages or chambers L are closed by a common rail or strip, M, which lies along their upper ends, and is in any suitable manner secured in such position.

As shown in the drawings, the bellows are arranged to blow and not to draw air through the reeds, but obviouslyit can be arranged for the other operation; but in either case the reed is to be suitably arranged for the passage of the air as desired.

The reed-board, constructed as herein described, provides places for the location of the reeds, which are outside of the airpassages which lead to the perforations of the perforated strip, and thus the reeds can be inserted andremoved at pleasure without interference with such air-passages, and again the angular intersecting chambers, while producing, in the one instance, ways for the location of the reeds, and in the other instance chambers for the passage of air in relation to the perforations of the paper strip, also give at the same time communicating openings for the reeds between its two chambers, the advantages of which, as to cheapness in and facility and readiness of manufacture, and economy of labor and of time, is obvious without further explanation.

The cover may be, as described, adapted to be opened and closed for crescendo and diminuendo effects only at and along one side of the box, in lieu of along both sides; but it is preferable to construct it to be opened and closed upon both sides.

Having now described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, with the casing of a mechanical instrument, of a cover hinged or pivoted to one side of the casing, and consisting of a longitudinal central top portion, 0, and two longitudinal side portions, dd, pivoted along the opposite sides of the said central top portion and arranged to be swung vertically, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with the casing of a mechanical musical instrument, of a cover hinged or pivoted to one side ofthe casing, and consisting of a central longitudinal portion, 0, and two inclined longitudinal portions, (1 d, pivoted at or near their upper ends on opposite sides of the said central top portion, a tinger pusher-block projecting vertically through the latter, and devices connected with the pusher-block, and arranged to act on the pivoted side portions, to raise and lower the lower ends of the same, substantially as described.

3. The reed-board 0, having the two chambers Hand L arranged at an angle to each other, and meeting at an acute angle at acommon opening, a, in combination with the reed 1), arranged within the reed-board, intermediate the two chambers, and extending across and covering the opening a, substantially as herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE W. TURNER. OLIVER- I-I. ARNO.

itnesscs EDWIN W. BROWN, WM. S. BELLows. 

